EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING, The Journal brings you five of the biggest news stories of the day so far.

1. #BILL KINNEALLY: A state inquiry examining how State agencies handled child abuse complaints about Bill Kenneally has seen its chairman criticise the convicted sex offender for “attempting to minimise” what he did to his victims.

2. #STATUS ORANGE: An Orange rain warning has kicked in for Cork and Kerry, with property owners in low lying areas or in places prone to flooding being urged to take precautions.

3. #GAZA: The EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has said that “starvation is being used as a weapon of war”, as he addressed conflict in Gaza at the the UN Security Council.

4. SXSW FESTIVAL: Texas Governor Greg Abbott has told the Irish acts who have pulled out of the South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in the state not to come back. 

5. #LEO VARADKAR: The Taoiseach has said that he would tell people thinking of coming to Ireland from a safe country where they have a play to say that Ireland “cannot guarantee you accommodation”.